In the past week, I actually got to see two movies in the theaters. And, yes, both of them had Ps in their titles. One of them even had a character with a propensity for playing with P-words.
The first P movie was "Mr. Popper's Penguins." I gotta admit that I wasn't sure I wanted to see it, since Jim Carrey and a bunch of penguins (one of which is named "Stinky") kind of made me think that it would be a throw-away movie. Then I found out that Angela Lansbury was in it. And, of course, I had to go.
It's a perfectly pleasant way to pass some time. Perky, perhaps a bit too reliant on the bathroom humor, but pfun, overall. Jim Carrey really can be pfunny at times, the penguins were cute (they're about half live and half CGI'd, and it's honestly pretty hard to tell the difference), and Angela Lansbury... well... she's always practically perfect in every way (my apologies to Julie Andrews). And, yes, there's a character named Pippi who speaks in preponderously large number of P-words. I don't have any idea how the actress did that without breaking up.
One of the best things about seeing the movie? We were there with a bunch of little kids around us. When the potty humor got to be too much, the kids would giggle and giggle. It made it much easier to put up with.
Overall rating: B. Possibly higher if I was a bit younger.
The second P movie of the week was "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," which Christopher and I saw yesterday. Basically, they've gotten rid of most of the old cast (keeping Johnny Depp, his nemesis Barbosa, and his first mate), and tossed in Penelope Cruz and a bunch of new people. And some deadly mermaids. And the Spanish Armada. Oh, and the Fountain of Youth. And a great cameo by Judi Dench.
In fact, I think they spent so much money throwing things in that they ran out of money for lighting. Or for a humor writer.
I've heard mixed reviews about the movie. Some critics have loved it because it has reinvented the "Pirates" franchise. Some have said it went too far away from the formula that had worked so well in the other three movies. I'm somewhere in between.
I liked Penelope Cruz's character (strong-willed woman who is also a pirate and a thief), and I liked some of the ancillary characters (like the missionary who falls for the mermaid), but I missed some of the humor of the first movies. And I have to admit that the ending felt like someone had decided that they needed to wrap of the movie so it just kind of stopped.
Did I like it? Sure. But mainly because I felt like it was setting up for the next one. And, yes, I loved the one scene that was straight out of the amusement park ride.
Overall rating: B-. Better than average, but - at least for me - it deserves a great big "Needs Improvement - not working up to potential" in red ink.
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